In cases where patients cannot breathe on their own or protect their own airway, proper placement and positioning of an artificial airway (for example an endotracheal tube) is critical in ensuring a patient receives adequate ventilation and oxygenation. This placement can be particularly difficult in irregular circumstances such as with local injury, unusual patient physicality and emergency situations in general. Being able to accurately visualize and identify the tracheal opening is a critical step in proper artificial airway placement. In many situations, if the artificial airway is not both accurately and quickly positioned, an undesirable outcome may occur.
There are several types of artificial airways that can be used to manage patients, each with its particular applications. Endotracheal tubes are introduced into the trachea in a procedure termed intubation utilizing dedicated intubation tools. Given the importance of accurate, timely and atraumatic placement, these tools include sophisticated, complex and expensive variations to assist in successful placement during difficult circumstances. However, due to their expense, such complex intubation devices are usually only available in limited quantities in any facility such as a hospital, and even less available in non-hospital settings such as EMT vehicles and medical field service facilities such as in war-zone areas. So, reliable point of care availability as well as the expense is an issue.
It is believed that the technology relevant to the present invention is disclosed in US2008/177146 (Chen); US2011/245609 (Laser); US2007/049794 (Glassenberg et al); U.S. Pat. No. 8,416,291 (Carrey et al); US2012/116156 (Lederman); US2012/296162 (Roze); US2010/261967 (Pacey et al); US2011/028790 (Farr et al); U.S. Pat. No. 8,479,739 (Hirsh); US2012/078055 (Berci et al); US2012/055470 (Pecherer et al); US2013/030249 (Vazales et al); U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,600 (Hill); US2012/016197 (Turnbull); US2008/236575 (Chuda); US2012/172664 (Hayman et al); US2011/270034 (Mackin); U.S. Pat. No. 8,166,967 (Qui); US2010/249639 (Bhatt); and WO2010/150291 (De Domenico), the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
Although intubation tools such as video laryngoscopes and video stylets are known and used, their expense limits their availability and they are not commonly a part of intubation kits. It is not uncommon, even in hospital settings that such tools are not readily available at the point of care rather such tools must be requested from another part of the hospital where stored or last in use.
Intubation tools commonly found in an intubation kit include: a laryngoscope handle with sized blades; endotracheal tubes (ETT); supra-glottal artificial breathing devices such as a laryngeal mask, laryngeal tube (e.g. King LT as it is known in the U.S.); stylets; tracheal introducers; an inflation syringe; and other common items such as face masks, catheters, etc.